


Good is Good

by wolfenboy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Soft Ending, bowling, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 08:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfenboy/pseuds/wolfenboy
Summary: Liam drags Theo out bowling with secret, ulterior motives.





	Good is Good

‘We’re going bowling.’ Liam said, throwing Theo’s jacket at him.

Theo snatched the leather out of the air, letting it hang in his hands as he tried to figure out what Liam means by “we”. He’d been staying at Liam’s for three weeks now. A few months after Scott and the others left Corey found out that Theo was living in his truck and crashing at dive motels when he could scrape together the money. Liam was furious Theo hadn’t told them and insisted that Theo stay in the guest room. The chimera protested, at least until Liam’s mother got ahold of him. Liam’s anger paled in comparison to her’s, and Theo found himself marched into the spare bedroom across the hall from Liam with Jenna Geyer behind him, arms crossed like an iron gate. No escape.

Still, it had been nice to sleep in a bed. To eat food at a table. Real food, too. And the rest of the pack even treated him alright, though Theo knew it was mostly out of pity. He wasn’t keen on being treated like some helpless teenager. But he said nothing, because as much as he hated the idea of pity, it was nice to feel like he belonged. Or at least wasn’t about to be cast aside.

So when Liam said they were going bowling Theo wasn't certain if he meant his family. Or his pack. Or just him and Liam. He found himself dwelling on the last option. More and more he’d been fighting back the feelings he knew were growing, but stubbornly refused to acknowledge. Ever since he saw Liam standing there with the sword that freed him, Theo had meant to prove his usefulness by watching out for the beta. But somewhere between otherworldly cowboys and a fear-eating demon he’d started to actually care. It was a problem Theo dealt with by making a safe distance between himself and Liam. And the others. Something that was now impossible since he was living across the hall from the beta.

‘All of us.’ Liam answered, digging through a pile of clothes on the floor. He sniffed a shirt, made a face, and tossed it across the room to the hamper. Theo sighed.

‘This one.’ Theo plucked a faded graphic t-shirt from the edge of Liam’s dresser. The beta looked it over with a small frown.

‘But I wanted to—‘

‘You look good in this one.’ Theo said, trying to speed things along. He felt everything inside go warm, threatening to blush. He forced it down. Stayed deadpan. Readied a sarcastic response for when Liam razzed him.

‘Yeah?’ Liam beamed, ‘Thanks!’

Theo nearly choked as Liam stripped off his shirt, getting his arms caught in the sleeves. As the beta wiggled free Theo glanced at his torso, watching Liam's muscles twist and flex with effort. The flush on his face was winning.

‘Be in the truck.’ Liam heard as he pulled the tee over his head. It was followed by the thundering of Theo’s feet down the stairs.

#

They took the car. Theo argued to take the truck, but Liam managed to convince him to get in the passenger seat of the car so they could pick up Corey and Mason. Brett and Lori were grabbing Nolan and would meet them there.

Now Theo found himself sitting next to Liam, alone in a small car. The lack of space between them made Theo uncomfortable. It was only a matter of time until he messed up and Liam pieced things together. As clueless as Liam could be sometimes he did always manage to figure things out. And Theo didn’t think something of this magnitude would be under the beta’s radar for long. 

‘What’s up?’ Liam asked, looking between Theo and the road.

‘Nothing’s up.’

‘You’re being quiet. That means that either you’re going into brooding Theo mode or… well, going into brooding Theo mode.’

‘Nice deduction skills, Holmes.’ Theo sneered. It hurt him to push Liam away, but the thought of rejection by the beta hurt worse. A reality Theo knew was only a matter of time.

‘So… is it like, past stuff. Bothering you I mean?’ Liam ignored the look, cutting through Theo’s attitude. The chimera was a master of deflection and distraction.

‘No.’ Theo said with attitude, crossing his arms. He looked out the window, catching sight of a couple stopping along the sidewalk to share a quick, mischievous kiss.

‘Maybe.’ Theo let the word slip past his lips. Liam made a noise that told him he heard, but they drove in silence for another block.

‘Do you wanna go home? We can go bowling another time.’ Liam said.

‘What? No. I’m fine. Whatever.’ Theo babbled, immediately regretting it. Babbling did not give an impression of calm, cool, and collected.

Liam bit his lip. Theo could feel the beta’s eyes on him, glancing over now and again as they headed to Mason’s.

‘You can… I mean… I know you got stuff. To deal with.’ Liam said, clearing his throat. ‘You know you can talk to me. Right?’

‘Sure.’ Theo said. He wanted this to end. Where was the angry Liam, the Liam that would shout and yell and curse at him? That Liam he could deal with. That Liam wasn’t trying to help him. All Theo wanted was to be close to him, near him. By the very fact that Liam was who he was made proximity impossible without helping hands and open hearts reaching for him. He wanted to push them away. Wanted to skulk in the shadows away from it all. To be pitied. To be weak. What was that? 

It was worse than that. He knew. Somehow Liam had gotten past all of his defences. Slipped under the wire. And now the beta with ocean-blue eyes had the power to utterly destroy him.

Theo had been hurt before. Hurt by parents who didn’t care about him—the sickly second child. Hurt by the other kids that treated him like a freak when he was little. The only one that had loved him was Tara. And that had ended up being her undoing. Everything that followed after was a long list of things Theo had done to be strong. So no one would hurt him. So he would never need anyone ever again. Except Liam managed to slip a snare around his neck and didn’t even know it.

They picked up Mason and Corey a few seconds later. The smiling chimera held the door open for Mason to get inside, playing at being a gentleman. Both boys giggled and laughed and smiled. Theo felt himself clench his fists at how easy it came to them. He smouldered in the seat the rest of the drive, offering up the occasional grunt or nod of conversation.

#

Theo dragged his feet as the others made their way to the door. Liam hung back, waiting for Theo to catch up. The parking lot was surprisingly deserted for the evening on a weekend. Theo shoved his hands in his pockets as Liam fell into step beside him.

‘What?’ Theo asked. He knew Liam kept looking at him. The beta looked away.

‘Nothing.’ Liam chewed his bottom lip, drawing Theo’s eyes. It was hard not to look at Liam and feel everything well up inside of him all at once. That warm feeling was followed by a dark anger, aimed at himself for being so vulnerable. For putting his heart in the hands of someone else.

‘Pretty quiet.’ Liam said as they slowly walked to the door of the bowling alley. The sun was setting, splashing oranges and pinks across the sky. The half-moon was rising—little more than a pale after thought against the darkening sky.

‘Yeah.’ Theo said. He sighed. He could do this. He would do this. It was just bowling. Just casual hang outs. They happened all the time. He’d just keep his distance, eat some awful nachos, and then they’d all go home.

When they got to the door, Liam scooted forward, grabbing the handle and holding it open for Theo. The chimera fought the blush away again when his mind picked up on the parallel between Liam’s actions and the way Corey held the car door for his boyfriend.

‘Thanks.’ Theo muttered, heading inside.

It was strangely dark and quiet. For a second he thought that something had happened. Something supernatural. But before he could flick his eyes gold and peer into the dark the lights came on with a bright burst, nearly blinding him.

‘Surprise!’ Many voices yelled. Theo blinked away the spots in his vision. Mason, Corey, Brett, Nolan, Lori, and Scott beamed at him. A big sign was hanging from the ceiling—HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY THEO.

‘Theo?’ Liam stood beside him, touch his shoulder. Theo clenched his fists.

‘Why would you do this?’ Theo asked. ‘Do you think it’s funny? Want to rub my face in it? Well nice fucking job! Yeah—I’m a fuck up! But this is just too fucking much.’

‘Theo—‘ Scott frowned in confusion.

‘I KNOW I fucked up. I know I’ll never make up for it. I know I can never have another chance. I don’t need to be mocked. Fuck you.’ Theo said, turning on a heel and storming out the door.

‘Theo!’ Liam bolted after him. 

‘So… should I put the ice-cream cake away?’ Nolan broke the silence.

#

Theo walked across the parking lot, fists clenching and unclenching.

‘Theo! God dammit, I know you can hear me!’ Liam hissed, hot on his heels.

He cursed under his breath as the beta closed in. ‘Leave me alone, Liam.’

‘Theo, just stop! Listen to me!’ Liam begged. His arm caught Theo’s shoulder, spinning the chimera around.

‘Are you… Oh, dude. Shit.’ Liam said, seeing the hot tears streaming down Theo’s cheeks. The chimera turned away, wiping them on the back of his sleeve.

‘Fuck off.’

‘Theo…’ Liam paused, trying to find the right words. ‘Theo, I’m sorry.’

Theo turned to look at the beta. Liam’s tone was full of concern. The apology was genuine, making Theo more confused than ever.

‘Why would you do that?’ Theo said, ‘I know I’m not part of the pack. You don’t have to throw that in my face. I get it.’

‘It’s my fault. It was my idea.’ Liam said, looking into Theo’s eyes. The chimera’s heart raced at what he saw there. This was it. Liam had figured it out. He’d figured it out weeks ago maybe, and planned this as some sort of cruel joke. Rejection followed with fists, Theo could deal with. Even hate-filled words. But this, this was too much.

‘Oh.’ It’s all he could manage before turning to walk away.

‘Where are you going?’

‘Away.’

‘What?!’ Liam grabbed onto Theo’s arm. The chimera shrugged him off with a snarl. Liam matched it with one of his own, gold eyes fixed on Theo’s face. His expression soften as he studies the chimera.

‘You think this is a joke. For real.’ Liam said. Theo looked away.

‘Theo… This WAS my idea. A surprise party. Scott remembered when your birthday was. He said it was one of the last times he saw you. You had a birthday party at the bowling alley. I just thought… maybe it would be nice to like celebrate a happy memory. I mean, I know it’s none of my business, but I don’t think you have a lot of them.’

Theo relaxed. Had he misread the entire thing and gone off the deep end? Judging by Liam’s chemosignals and the tone of his voice he was sincere.

‘Why?’ Theo asked. ‘I mean, why would you do something so… For me?’

‘I… I just…’ Liam huffed, rubbing his sweaty hands on his jeans. ‘Sorry. This is just, it’s kind of hard.’

‘Because all the things I did.’ Theo said.

‘No! I mean, kind of. But not really. You regret all that stuff, yeah?’

‘Every day.’ Theo said.

‘Well. Good. I mean, I know you’re good. And good is good. I like good.’ Liam said. Theo gave him a small nod, followed by a frown of confusion.

‘Okay.’

‘Yeah.’ Liam beamed. ‘And you’re good now. So I like you. And that’s good, too!’ 

‘Liam, are you okay?’ Theo was getting worried. Liam was babbling like mad, filling the air with whatever words floated through his mind. ‘We can go back inside.’

‘No! I mean, yes. But I’m not done. Talking. I’m not done talking.’ Liam nodded to himself.

‘Like, first you were there and I thought you smelled nice. And then there was the hole. And then after that you were so bad. So mean. But then you helped. And you pushed me. And all the stuff with the elevator. And Gabe. And then… I just… I’m sorry it took me so long.’

‘What was that?’ Theo asked. Liam’s words came out so fast he had trouble making them out.

‘This.’ Liam whispered. Suddenly the beta’s hand were behind his neck, pulling him forward gently into a soft kiss. Theo could feel the fear and hesitation behind it, matching his own. He froze—this wasn’t in the list of scenarios he’d considered. He hadn’t even let himself dream of this. He could feel Liam pulling away. The scent of fear growing when Theo didn’t respond.

The chimera grabbed the back of Liam’s head, keeping him from moving farther away as he leaned in and returned the kiss with soft, eager lips. Liam gave a small rumble of happiness as he melted into Theo’s arms.

The sun dipped below the horizon to reveal an ocean of darkness filled with bright diamonds. Above them the half-moon glowed with a radiance borrowed from the sun, making harsh shadows soft with its light. Theo sighed, warm air tickling the skin of Liam’s neck. 

‘How long?’ Theo asked wondering when his secret was discovered.

‘In the car. When I was with Hayden. You looked like you wanted to murder her when we were kissing. I thought you were jealous of me.’

‘Close.’

‘Then you saved me. Over and over. Even when I hit you and yelled at you.’

‘You do have a unique charm.’

‘Shut up.’ Liam smiled, nuzzling into the crook of Theo’s neck.

‘I can’t… You don’t know how happy it makes me that you’re okay with this. That you like me. That we can do this.’ Liam said.

‘How happy does it make you?’ Theo asked.

‘Do you ever stop being a smartass?’

‘Not now that I know I can get away with it. And you’ll still kiss me?’

Liam pulled the chimera to him, giving him another kiss.

‘Better?’

Theo nodded. It all caught up with him in that moment—the weight of all his sorrow and guilt and shame were washed away when the dam broke, flooding his heart with the warmth and comfort of Liam’s love. It was something he was sure someone like him didn’t deserve, but he knew it was precious. Perfect. Something to hold and protect. Something to fight for. And he was never going to give it up.

‘We should go back inside.’ Liam said, taking his hand.

‘I just yelled at a bunch of people that threw me a surprise birthday party, didn’t I?’

‘Yelled is maybe a light word for it. Exploded might be better.’ Liam said as he pushed the door open.

‘Oh god.’

‘Theo… are you blushing?’

‘Shut up.’

Liam gave him a wide grin. Theo glanced at the rest of the pack, milling around, quietly talking to themselves while the greatest 90s hits played over the speakers of the bowling alley.

‘Don’t you dare.’

‘Hey everyone, Theo Raeken is blushing!’ Liam called over his shoulder. The rest of them looked over. Theo felt his cheeks burn. This wasn’t very fair. The chuckles and smiles of the rest of them drew out the suspicion and poison from his usual pattern of thought, leaving only light embarrassment.

‘Did you give him the “good is good” speech?’ Mason asked with a smirk.

Liam’s face flushed at the memory of his rambling confession.

‘Shut up! It worked. He kissed me.’ Liam puffed up his chest with a smug grin.

‘Out of pity.’ Theo said, pushing past the beta. The rest of the pack came to life as Theo rejoined them, talking a mile a minute about how they planned the party and how they rented the bowling alley incase Theo wolfed out.

Liam lingered, pouting. Theo grabbed the beta’s hand, slipping his fingers in-between Liam’s before pressing a kiss to his cheek. Liam sighed and settled in, leaning against Theo as he and Scott started to pick their teams.

Theo watched Scott try to show him how to bowl, just like he’d done eleven years ago. Theo was surprised when a happy memory of the past touched a moment in his life in the present. Liam had made this happen. Liam loved him. He felt the beta squeeze his hand, reminded him that he was right there beside him.

‘I forgot to ask, are you good at bowling?’ Liam whispered.

‘I’m a great bowler.’

‘I’m only asking because Scott is showing you how. And he’s terrible.’

‘Scott’s good.’ Theo said, remembering how he’d dominated the bowling alley as an eight year old.

They watched as the alpha landed a gutter ball on his first try.

‘Okay. Scott was good for an eight year old.’

Liam chuckled. ‘Maybe I’ll let you win.’

‘You do that,’ Theo said, ‘And I’m not going to kiss you for a week.’

‘Empty threat.’ Liam said. Theo smiled, moving away suddenly to let the beta stumble and fall on his butt.

‘Liam! You’re up!’ Scott smiled.

Liam glared at Theo, bushing himself off as the chimera laughed.

‘You’re going down, Raeken.’


End file.
